The Kingdom of Zootopia
by Lyrnx
Summary: What would you do if you fell in love with someone you could never be with? Destroy enemy armies for them? Bend over backwards to make them smile? Over throw the queen you serve! Judy is a brave and powerful knight. But her life has somehow become boring. She wants something thrilling, something fun, something adventurous! But maybe that something, is a someone?
1. chapter 1

Chapter 1

Champion

The crowd of the arena cheers loudly as the two mammals clash blades. Today is a glorious day for another battle of champions. The rhino, Brutus Tiirkar, from the Grassland Empire is a worthy opponent for the undefeated champion of Zootopia. Judy Hopps is the kingdom's greatest hero and the queen's most powerful knight. The bunny has never lost a battle in the arena or in the field of war.

The crowd roars as Judy dodges another swing from the large mammal. She takes the opportunity to charge at him with her trusted blade held tightly in one paw and sturdy shield in the other. She swings with as much strength as she could conjure but the rhino counters with a heavy slash against her shield. Brutus is slow but his attacks are powerful beyond belief. The impact sent the now dented shield in the air and Judy flying a few feet away from her opponent. She hits the ground hard, knocking the oxygen out of her lungs and the glistening sword bouncing out of her paw. The grey bunny doesn't attempt to get up, instead she lays in the dirt staring up at the blue sky as the rhinoceros approaches.

' _What am I doing with myself?'_ She thought. It's times like this when Judy would actually stop to think about everything that has happened in her years of living. _'Am I going to fight until I die? I mean sure it's fun and all but...now I wish I had more. I want something adventurous, something exciting, something-'_ Her violet eyes widen as the blade above her head came down towards her face. She barely rolls out of its path and Brutus' sword gets jammed between the earth.

"Come on Brutus." Judy says with a small smile as she wipes sweat from her fuzzy face. "I was deep in thought." The rhino tries to pull his weapon out of the ground but it won't budge. He gives up on the blade and makes his way over to the grey bunny.

"Again? What were you thinking about this time?"

"Oh you know." He swings at her with his right and Judy dodged with ease. "Same thing as last time." A swing with the left. "The whole _what am I doing with my life_ thought." Another swing.

"Really? You thinking about dropping out of knighthood?" He asked, slamming his fist into the dust as Judy jumped out of the way, snatching her weapon off the ground.

"No way. If I did that then you'd win arena battles with no effort." Judy grins as she holds her sword in a back right position. "But I am sorry about your leg."

"What about my le-" With remarkable swiftness and speed Judy dashes over to the rhinoceros and cuts a thin line a few inches above his ankle. The crowd goes wild and Judy sheaths her beautiful sword. "You beat me again."

"Same time next spring?"

"We'll see. With all the battles I lost against you I don't think my emperor will select me to fight again." Brutus pushes himself off the ground and the two leave the arena. They travel down the tunnel hallway and up a small flight of stairs. "So Judy."

"Hm?" She tilts her head up at him.

"Are you going to celebrate another victory?" The bunny looks down at the concrete floor, her face twisting into uncertainty.

"How does one celebrate victory by themselves?" The rhino raises a brow and Judy continues. "My victories as champion aren't celebrated with parties or by the company of friends. Only the battles in war are celebrated."

"Geez, then I'd hate to know what happens when you lose." The two stop at the infirmary and Brutus waves a goodbye. "Well, see you next time Ms. Hopps."

"Later." Judy watches as the large mammal disappears behind the single door. She turns around and makes her way to the queen's castle. "I'm so tired."

It's not long before the brave rabbit makes it back to the large castle that sits in the middle of their beloved kingdom. She travels through the wide hallways of the corridor, her violet-eyes watching the marble floor beneath her. But the journey to her headquarters seemed to be delayed by the mammals that stopped to congratulate and praise her. Judy would always put on a smile and return their kindness. But the bunny couldn't help but be annoyed at her status. Everywhere she went it was always _"There's the warrior of Zootopia!"_ or _"It's the queen's undefeated knight!"_

Judy didn't feel like the great hero she was two years ago. Everything was the same and her heart felt empty. She wanted something new, something exciting and dangerous. But how would she find it? The rabbit doesn't want to give up her knighthood and wander around aimlessly looking for it. _'Why can't the adventure I'm searching for just come through that window?!'_

To her surprise the window actually opens and a red fox climbs through it. He doesn't seem to notice her presence as he looks the opposite way as if hoping no one saw him. He turns his head in Judy's direction and jumps back a little.

"Umm...The side door was locked and this window is usually open so I just-"

"That side door isn't locked." Judy interrupted. "I just came through there myself not too long ago."

He turns around and began walking away from the small knight. "Well it was locked when I tried to open it, Carrots."

"C-Carrots?!" Judy runs up next to him and gives him a glare. The fox seemed to have notice and sighed.

"Sorry I just assumed that you came from a carrot farm before coming here." She seemed to twitch at his response. He stops and holds out his paw with a smile. "The name's Nick, you probably won't remember me."

The grey bunny hesitated before taking the other mammal's paw and giving it a firm squeeze. "Judy Hopps, and I will remember you."

"Why? So you can report me?"

"No." They let go and Judy gives Nick a confident smile. "Because you are..." She thought for a moment but couldn't find the exact word she was looking for. "...interesting."

"Geez and here I thought you were going to say I was gorgeous." The predator smirks and continues to walk down the corridor, Judy following him in silence for a few minutes. "Okay Carrots, why are you following me?"

"How do you know I'm not heading the same way? And don't call me Carrots, I'm Judy the-"

"The undefeated knight of Zootopia? Yeah, I know who you are." He aid bluntly.

"Y-You do?" She raises a brow. If he already knew then why didn't he praise and glorify her like everyone else?

"First off, everyone knows who you are miss popular. Second, _I_ know everybody. And third, I'm also the one that cleans your messy room." His green-eyes glance down at her shocked face and he grins. "Seriously, you're room is always a mess and you leave your panties on the floor like no one is going to walk in and see them." Her face heats up in embarrassment and Judy can feel her heart pounding beneath the armor chest plate. She always assumed a girl was cleaning her room, not a boy!!

"Y-You clean my room?"

"Did I not just say I do? I thought bunny's had excellent hearing." He stops in front of large white door and opens it. The room has a more modern look with main colors of white, baby blue, and a few hints of pink here and there. The contents on the bookshelf was organized alphabetically and her framed family photos were polished. The bed she left a mess of this morning was made neatly, not a wrinkle on the bright blue sheets to be seen. It seemed like she was just now noticing all the hard work put into picking up her mess. She honestly felt a little embarrassed.

"You do all of this?"

"Yes I do. Anyways, here's your now _clean_ room so this is goodbye for now. I'm sure you'll be searching for me later since you...How did you put it? _Because you are interesting_? I believe those were your exact words." Nick places his paw on her back and pushes the bunny into her bedroom, Judy being too stunned to actually move herself. "But just so you know, if you do decide to look for me, I won't be easy to find."

"Ah-...I..." She was lost for words. How did this fox get her so tongue tied?

"Well it was nice meeting you. And nice job in the arena today!" Nick gives her a bright smile and a thumbs up. "My favorite part was when you got slammed across the field."

He slams the door in her face and Judy stares at it, trying to comprehend what happened. The rabbit turns around and is greeted with a neat, organized room again; looking . She picks up the remote from the small coffee table the debates on whether to turn the TV on or not. She decides against it and places it back down.

"What is wrong with me?" Judy peels off the armor and lets it drop to the floor along with her blue cape and everything else besides her underwear. "My heart is still pounding and I can't stop thinking about him." She opens the drawer to her dresser and takes out a white tank top and throws it over her head. Judy flops down on the bed and stares at the white ceiling. Nick was definitely different and was more than mysterious. Judy's brain was frantically peicing together everything the fox had said to her.

He already knows who she is. He cleans her room and does a pretty damn good job on it. He clearly likes to snoop around since he tried to play off sneaking in through the window. Judy couldn't stop thinking about what Nick said.

 _"But just so you know, if you do decide to look for me, I won't be easy to find."_

She grins at his words, blood pumping with excitement. "I love a good challenge."


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Just in case anyone is confused, the setting is a modern/medieval society. So they have TV's, cars (but personal vehicle transportation isn't as popular as walking or taking a train), they have electric clocks/watches, computers etc. Oh I also forgot to mention that T.A.M.E. Collars are in this fanfic.**

 **Nick: 16**

 **Judy: 16**

 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter 2

Nick Wilde

Judy woke up early the next day. Today was her day off and she wasn't going to waste a minute of it; she had a fox to find. The bunny got up at six and began her search all the way till noon. The knight searched almost everywhere. She checked the kitchen, the ballroom, the dining hall, the storehouse, and many other places in the large fortress. She hasn't found anything, not even a clue on where he's been. Judy groans and leans against the endless bookshelf of the library.

"Where are you?" She looks over at the open window and catches a glimpse of a red blur passing by. The bunny immediately assumes it's Nick and rushes over to the window, jumping through it and landing perfectly on her feet. Violet-eyes scan for the predator but it's almost as though he has vanished. There's nothing but an open yard of green grass and three apple trees growing in the center. Judy walks over to the middle tree, eyes still searching for the fox. "Wha-how did he?"

"Up here Carrots~" Judy snaps her head up and she spots Nick laying on the branch above her. He was on his side with his head in his paw and a smug look on his face. "If you keep looking down your whole life how will you ever know what's above you?"

"Why are you up in a tree?"

"Why not? I've got a lovely view from up here." Judy opens her mouth but couldn't think of anything to say. This fox was definitely flipping her brain around. "So, I've notice how you were looking for me all morning. You covered two thirds of the castle in about six hours, that's impressive."

"Well I'm a dedicated mammal." She prides. Nick sits up and leans against the trunk of the tree.

"Don't you have somewhere to be, Cottontail?"

"No, it's my day off. What about you though? Aren't you suppose to be somewhere? By the looks of your clothes I'd guess you're a servant. And seeing as how you roam around the castle you must belong to someone that lives here." The fox turns his head away from the knight and crosses his arms.

"Something like that." He snaps his head back down at her, brows furrowed and green eyes glaring into bright purple ones. "And I don't belong to anyone." The rabbit looks up at him with confusion.

 _'Why did he get so defensive over a simple question?'_ She thought. "Well..." The knight's curiosity urges her to pry more about the subject. "Servants have to have masters. So who is your's?"

Nick's ear flicks as a sign of annoyance and the green light on his collar briefly turns yellow. He takes a deep breath to calm himself before climbing down from the apple tree. "I told you. _I. Don't. Have. One._ " The fox gives her one last glare before walking away from the grey rabbit.

 _'He's clearly upset.'_ She shrugs it off and follows him, still wanting to know more. "So if you don't have a master, why are you here?"

"Why do ask so many questions?!"

"Because I'm naturally curious." He doesn't look at her but Judy can practically taste the irritation coming off the red fox. "So?"

He stops in front of the metal gate with a flower design engraved on the rims. Nick rolled his eyes and faces the smaller mammal. "Look rabbit, I don't have to tell you squat. Now leave me alone." His paw grips the gate handle and pulls it open a few inches before it's slammed shut but Judy's paw.

"Nick wait. I'm sorry if I...made you uncomfortable somehow."

"It's fine."

The knight eyes him for a moment before removing her paw from the gate door. "You live here, right?" The fox opens the metal door and steps inside, turning around to block the entryway for the small mammal.

"You have to specify."

"On the castle grounds. Do you live here or somewhere else?" A smirk finds its way on his muzzle and Judy wonders if he's going to give her a straight answer.

"Yes I live here. Now let me ask you something." The fox puts his paws on his knees and bends down to meet the bunny's height. "Do you enjoy being a knight? A champion?"

Judy gives him a confused look. "Of course I do. As champion I represent Zootopia's strength. And as a knight I represent the kingdom's sword and shield. I protect the innocent and destroy the enemies who seek us harm." Nick stands back up and looks down at her with disappointment.

"How noble of you, but I was hoping for a different answer. Maybe somewhere along the lines of _no I hate my job, it's not all that I wanted it to be. The mammals think I'm an invincible hero bunny and the queen uses me as a showcase. Being a champion and knight sucks, if I could go back in time I would stop myself from choosing this ridiculous life._ " He shrugs and takes a step back. "But hey, if you're still in denial then by all means, keep telling yourself that." The fox turns away from the wide eyed rabbit and walks on the stone path through the garden.

Nick loved the garden. Each flower blooming beautifully with it's unique colors and patterns. He can only imagine where they're from, what strange and mysterious place they originated. The problem with Nick was his lack of freedom and adventure. Kind of like a certain bunny he hoped he could relate too. Queen Bellwether has taken the throne eight years ago after the predator outbreak. The incident came out of nowhere and within a month seven predators have turned savage and killed or maimed other animals. The Kingdom became fearful and desperate for a solution. Zootopia's population is still ninety percent prey and ten percent predator. So obviously King Lionheart was overthrown and Bellwether stepped up with a solution.

The T.A.M.E. collars.

Predators rejected the idea and a few prey agreed with them. But unfortunately their votes against it wasn't enough to beat the fearful votes of everyone else. The law is that any predator caught without their collar on will be sentenced to execution. It seemed unfair but there is also a law that children don't have to be collared until the age of ten. Bellwether doesn't have the power to change laws without the council's vote. That being said, the equality act is still the same.

But Nick could careless about Bellwether, she only keeps him around to torment him. Giving him endless tasks and watching his every move. Nick has been her servant since he was eight years old, a few months after the lamb has taken the throne. Apparently his family owes the kingdom a large sum of money that has been building slowly over the generations. Of course though, that debt belongs to his father's side of the family. John Wilde, was able to open up a tailoring store. It was a successful business and John was decreasing the amount of money owed in good time with some to spare. The fox knew he'd be able to pay off the money in about ten years. It wasn't long until John met the love of his life and had a kit with her. Claire Wilde, was beautiful and a loving mother. But Claire was prone to sickness, she fought it for years but no one can fight forever, she died when Nick was four. John was left with just his son and tailor shop; and by god he was determined to give Nick a better future.

Sadly, once Bellwether became queen John had a hunch that she'd be out to get them. And she did. Nick remembers what happened that day. How knights, an elephant and a horse, from the castle barged through the door and robbed his dad of all their money. " _The queen demands all the debt to be paid now."_ That's what they said as his father pleaded for them to give his family more time, that they didn't have all of it.

 _"Please! Just two more years and it'll all be paid off!" John yelled as the two armored mammals took the money from the cash register. "You have to tell queen Bellwether to give us two more years. Please I'm begging you."_

 _"Sorry fox_ _, but her majesty gave us strict orders to collect everything you owe to the kingdom." The elephant hands the money to the brown horse and John tries to control the anger rising inside of him._

 _"But we don't have all of it!"_

 _"No, not in cash." The elephant looks over at the young kit standing in the living room doorway. "Hughes grab the kid." John's collar flicks yellow._

 _"You can't take him!" John tries to reach for his son but the large mammal shoves him away. Nick, sensing something bad was going to happen, attempts to runaway from the knight approaching him. But the small fox doesn't get far as Hughes snatches him off his feet. "Stop! He's all I have left! Please!!"_

 _"Don't worry, you'll see your boy again." Hughes laughs. "Once the debt is paid off."_

 _"Dad!" Nick shouts as the knights head for the door. "Let go of me! Dad help!!" John pushes himself to his feet, panic rushing through his head and a short shock from the collar._

 _"You can't take him from me! It's illegal!!" He growls baring his sharp teeth, a shock or two pulsing through his body. But it doesn't stop the fox from marching up to the two knights and attempting to grab his son away._

 _"Don't come any closer fox!!" The elephant yells, drawing his blade._

Nick remembers that elephant claiming it as an accident but that still didn't excuse the fact that he slashed his sword across his father's chest, and better yet, leaving him there to bleed to death.

"It's illegal." The vulpine mumbles. It's the only thing Nick hopes would free him. Unfortunately he was a child that no one listened to and the fox isn't familiar with the nation's laws. He tried searching for books on the government records but those are kept in the upstairs library. One of the few places Nick is restricted access to. Which also means Nick isn't familiar with his given rights either.

The fox has always been suspicious of Bellwether. The way she raises his debt every time he does something she disapproves of. Which can literally be anything, since the sheep increased it by five percent when Nick was nine just because he cleaned the dining table "wrong". The way she sets his schedule so no one comes into contact with him. How she sets guards around the castle perimeter, not just for look out but also to make sure he doesn't leave. Nick tried running away but those guards intervened every time and dragged him back to his bedroom.

His only complaint is _why him_?! There are plenty of other animals in the castle that she can confine and torture. But Bellwether only keeps an eye out for him. Nick has seen lots of other mammals get away with shit that's ten times worse than anything he's ever done. All they get is a slap on the wrist while he's locked in his room for several days.

"HEY NICK!"

 _'Great, Ms. Hero followed me.'_ He sighs and turns around to meet the relentless rabbit.

"You sure know how to disappear, slick." The corner of his mouth twitches upwards at the nickname. Does that mean she's getting comfortable around him?

"Sorry Carrots, But I've got a tight schedule with little room to relax." Her violet-eyes sparkle and Nick isn't sure if it's from the sun or not.

"Let me help you then! I've got nothing better to do anyways. Plus with my help you'd get your chores done faster!" Judy beams and Nick ponders the idea. It wouldn't be too bad to have some extra help.

"Hmm, okay. But you've gotta commit to every task, no cutting corners or the queen will have my head."

Judy nods, "Yes sir! So what's first on the list?"

"Laundry." That smug expression makes it's way onto his face and he crosses his arms. "You didn't leave your clothes on the floor again did you?"

"Uhh...can we skip laundry and do something else?"

"Nope! I said you have to commit. You're not a quitter, are you Carrots?" The knight stands up straight with her paws on her hips.

"No way!"

"Awesome!" Nick grabs her arm and pulls her in the direction of her bedroom. "Now lets go see how much you trashed your room." Judy groans and follows.

"I really need to start picking up after myself." The knight mumbles, knowing full and well that her room is a disaster.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Everyday Routine

The room, now that Judy looked at it for the second time today, is definitely a wreck. Scattered across the floor were her clothes from yesterday along with a few clean ones that she tossed out of the drawers and closet when looking for a dumb pair of pants. Half of the comforter was on the floor too with the sheets in a tangled mess on the mattress. Last night's dinner was still on the coffee table and a few books from her personal shelf can be found anywhere but on the actual bookshelf.

Nick sighs, "It hasn't even been 24 hours yet, Carrots." The fox looks down at the bunny who's staring at her fiddling fingers in shame. "You come home to a lovely, _clean_ bedroom where you can _find_ everything and just relax." He crosses his arms with a smug smile on his muzzle. "It must be nice to have someone pick up after you. Do you think anyone comes to clean up my room?"

The bunny shakes her head. _'I feel so stupid. How did I get like this?! Back in BunnyBurrow I used to pick up after myself and at least keep my personal space tidy.'_ Judy groans and finally works up the nerve to make eye contact with Nick. "Okay I admit it, I did get a little lazy over the two years of living here. But! We can fix that, so let's get started!" She proudly marches into the mess that she made, Nick shrugs and follows.

Nick heads over to the empty white basket next to the bathroom door and picks it up. "Carrots." He called and she looks over her shoulder. "This is your laundry basket." He holds it up and waves it around a little. "I guess I should've labeled it before putting it in your room." He grins and Judy rolls her eyes, scooping up the clothes from yesterday.

"I know it's the laundry basket." She dumps the dirty outfit into the white basket and Nick raises a brow. "I just forgot about it."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Do you want me to make you some sticky notes as a reminder?" He joked, Judy catching onto his playful tone.

"Only if you color code them."

"Don't worry Fluff, I'll add glitter and everything." She stifles a laugh and picks up one of the shirts from this morning and begins placing it back on the hanger. "What are you doing?" The knight gives him a confused smile, taking note of his semi serious expression.

"I'm putting the clothes away? Don't worry these are clean from this morning."

"Yeah, except that's not the way my job works. Carrots, all clothes on the floor are dirty, that's what they taught me. And if you don't do it right, you get suspension." The grey rabbit furrows her brows.

 _'That's a little ridiculous.'_ Is what she wanted to say but the sincere glimmer in his eyes told her otherwise. "Fine." She huffs and pulls the shirt off the hanger and tosses it in the basket. "So we have to wash all of these?"

The fox nods, "Yes, but we're going to tidy up in here first before moving to the laundry room."

"By _tidy_ , do you mean just picking up trash? Or is there more?"

"There's more." He replies as the last pair of pants is tossed into the full basket. "We have to make your bed, reorganize the bookshelf, put the trash in an actual trash can, sweep the floor, and scrub down your bathroom. Though I personally like to wipe down everything else and clean your windows, but I guess we can skip that for today."

Judy, trying to stay as enthusiastic as she can, gives a thumbs up and a forced smile. _'How did "tidy up" turn into this long list of chores?!'_ She thought. Nick seemed happy about it though and Judy just assumed she was overthinking the boring tasks. The knight picks up five books, two from the coffee table and three from underneath the couch before making her way over to the shelf. Nick, surrounded in his own little stacks of books, looks at the spine of each one and places them in separate piles.

"Wow. How did you find all of those so fast?"

"I know where you tend to leave them." He doesn't look at her and the bunny shrugs.

She takes the first two books from her tiny pile and reads the cover. _The Awakening_ by Kate Chopin and _Heart of the Hunter_ by Linda Anne Wulf. Both are great books and Judy makes a mental note to read them again. Placing the two books side by side on the empty shelf, she looks down at the other three.

"Woah, okay hold up cottontail." She jumps and turns to face the fox.

"What? I'm just putting the books on the shelf."

"Carrots they have to be in alphabetical order." Her violet eyes run over the titles before switching their places. "No, alphabetically by the author's last name!"

"Wha-I had it right the first time then!" She shouts, switching the two books again.

Nick groans, "No, _a_ _ll_ of the books have to be alphabetized by the author's last name." He reaches over and snatches the two pieces of literature off the shelf and skims over the titles and authors. "Does _W_ come _right_ after _C_?"

"No, but why does it matter?! It's my bookshelf, not the library." Judy didn't understand how Nick could be so organized, as long as all of the books were on the shelf it should be fine.

"If you put them in order, then you know where everything is." Nick noticed the look on her face and he sighs. "Tell me, Fluff. When you go to the library, are the books alphabetized?"

"Yes, but like I said, this isn't the library." She takes the two books from the fox and places them on the shelf. "I don't care if my bookcase isn't perfectly organized. Just as long as all the books are on the shelf it should be fine. Right?" Nick furrows his brows and makes an attempt to take the books off the shelf but the knight catches his wrist and looks into his frustrated eyes. "Right?" He doesn't give her a glance.

"No, they ha-" Judy cuts him off and leans into his line of sight, trying to make some form of eye contact with the fox.

"Nick this isn't the library, and I'm not asking you to alphabetize them." Judy could tell that this alone was difficult for him. Striving for a perfection that goes unnoticed everyday. Was this the way slaves were trained? Her mind could only wonder why they had to be taught to correct even the smallest things. It caused her great confusion but the knight didn't want to debate it anymore. "Come on, lets get these on the shelf."

"You're frustrating me."

"Huh?" She looks over and noticed the anger coming off Nick, the light on his collar remaining a bright yellow.

"I said _you are frustrating me_. Why can't we do it my way? You volunteered to help me, so it should be done my way." Judy could hear the bitterness in his voice, but the light on his collar remained yellow.

' _Still yellow? He's got a lot of self control...'_ Judy thought, she was amazed at how the fox could still express some emotions without the light turning red. Nick pushes himself off the floor and makes his way to the coffee table where last night's dinner laid.

Soon enough the two mammals finished cleaning up the bedroom and were heading down the hallway, Judy carrying the laundry basket. They walked in silence and haven't spoken after the book incident.

 _'Maybe I should've done it his way...'_ The knight thought, _'I didn't mean to make him upset. But I also didn't take Nick to be such a perfectionist.'_ She looks up at the fox. "Hey Nick? I'm sorry, it's just-"

"Saying anything after _sorry_ is not an apology."

"...I'm really sorry, but-"

"Not an apology."

The rabbit sighs, "I'm just trying to explain myself."

"You shouldn't have to explain your actions when giving an apology. It means you're defending your own actions and that diminishes the purpose of apologizing. Just say _I'm sorry_ and nothing else."

"But you should listen to what I have to say. Then maybe you'll understand things from my point of view."

"Fine." He stops and turns to face her. "I'm listening."

"Okay." She breathes. "I know you've been taught to do things a certain way. Some of which is a little excessive, but I want you to know that you don't have to do those things around me. I'm sorry if I made you upset, and I really hope you're not mad at me. I shouldn't have tried to change a routine you've been doing for years. So please, accept my apology."

Nick blinks, his face emotionless. "Accept your apology?" The fox turns away and begins walking again. "Can I ask you something first?"

"Y-Yeah! Anything."

"Why are you trying to interact with me? You've never taken an interest in low lives such as myself, nor have you attempted to mingle with the mammals of your status." Judy thinks for a moment.

 _'Why haven't I socialized with my peers?'_ She looks up at the fox and smiles. "As I've said before, I find you very interesting. And for the record, you're not a low life, nobody is."

Nick rolls his eyes "Give it a rest Carrots, it's not like I can get offended by my own life status."

"But I don't think of you as someone beneath me, you're just...an employee."

"An employee with no rights and a torture device around his neck." Nick stops in front of the laundry room. "Oh! And this employee works for free too. My life is amazing! I'm so happy with this great fortune the queen herself bestowed upon myself and fellow predators."

Judy looks down at the laundry in her paws. "It's not her fault that predators were reverting back to their savage instincts."

"So what?! It's _our_ fault?!" The light on his neck flashes yellow and Nick bites his tongue to suppress those strong feelings of anger.

"Look all I'm saying is that some things can't be helped. It's in your DNA after all." Judy finally looks up from the basket, regret immediately overcoming her calm exterior. "I-I mean this was the only way we could help you!"

The fox takes in a deep breath before exhaling, "Yeah right. You _prey_ didn't even bother helping us. The moment T.A.M.E collars were introduced you all said _yes_ without taking the time to find a less painful, a less humiliating way of helping us." The bitterness in his voice made Judy's ears fall. "Not _all_ predators were going savage, maybe they ate something bad or were having a mental break down? But nobody wanted to consider those possibilities." Nick snatched the laundry basket from her and glares. "I guess all it takes is a little fear to force mammals to turn their backs on each other."

"Nick I didn't mean...I didn't mean to-"

"Just stop! Go find something else to entertain you. I may be a slave but I'm not _your_ slave! So leave me alone." The fox enters the laundry room, slamming the door in Judy's face. The bunny's sharp ears catch a faint yelp in pain from behind the door. She assumes it was from the collar around his neck. The torture device. The rabbit sighs and turns to walk away but is stopped when the door opens with Nick poking his head around the corner. Judy's ears perk up with a hopeful expression on her face. "By the way." The fox spoke, "I don't accept your apology." And with that, he slams the door again; leaving Judy to sulk by herself.

"How am I going to fix this?"


End file.
